Keeping your brain in shape

Dementia is poised to become a defining disease of a rapidly aging population

Tips for keeping your brain fit

Click through this slide show by using the arrow keys at the top right to see suggestions to help keep your brain healthy. These tips were published in 'The Alzheimer's Prevention Program,' a book by Dr. Gary Small and Gigi Vorgan.

In this 2007 file photo, Bernice Lantman is seen at the age of 103 walking in Venice. [CREDIT: H-T archives]

Pick up the pace

Walk briskly between destinations. A 10-minute walk can become an aerobic workout.

If you are carrying heavy items, try to divide them evenly to maintain balance. If possible, try doing a couple of bicep curls with the items while you continue your brisk walk.

Meditation is healthy for the mind and body. [CREDIT: H-T archives]

Meditate

Those boring waits for a bus or elevator are opportunities to let go of frustration and relax. Do some deep breathing; focus on releasing the tension in your neck and shoulder muscles. Pay attention to your posture — stomach in, shoulders back — or imagine yourself relaxing on a beach or in a hammock.

Exercise Physiologist Dr. Robert Jacobson, left, helps Leo Resna to gain more mobility and flexibility through a series or exercises and stretches in Venice, in 2013. [CREDIT: Matt Houston, H-T archives]

Schedule your exercises

Use your smartphone to remind you to take a relaxation or brief exercise break every few hours. Try to get your heart pumping faster with some knee lifts or jumping jacks.

To boost your brain power and minimize your tip-of-the-tongue memory slips, jot down some clues to the name or word that you think you should recall but can’t. Look it up later and use focusing techniques to sink it into your memory stores.

A paper plate is divided up to show correct portions of fruits and vegetables, protein, and starch, along with some examples, in this 2008 photo from the Children's Museum of Manhattan. [CREDIT: Children's Museum of Manhattan, via AP]

Control portions

Try splitting an entree or salad with a friend when dining at a restaurant that serves over-sized portions. Or substitute an appetizer-sized dish.

Cocoa-orange cereal and nut Clusters are seen in this 2008 photo. Off the shelf snacks can be nothing but empty calories if you are not careful. [CREDIT: Larry Crowe, via AP]

Surround yourself with healthy snacks

Replace chocolate, donuts and cookies with raisins, walnuts and celery sticks. Maintaining a steady stream of healthy nutrients to nourish your brain cells throughout the day is important to keep them in optimal shape.